Flax-pulling machine.



0. H. vEssoT & A. G. MATHER.

FLAX PULLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.13, 1910.

Patented J an. 9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTCIFIS C H VESSIJT A. G. MATHEFI C. H. VESSOT & A. MATHER.

FLAX PULLING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 13, 1910.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTHHS B H VESSIJT FIB. 8.

WITNESSES k6. MATH EH taken on the line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a the frame of the machine, and in practice chine, the position of attachment being the of the machine.

.with the cover removed. Fig. 4 is a vertical in this case, B will represent' the trans- CHARLES HENRIVESSOT AND ALLAN GILMOUR M ATHER, OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO,

CANAD A.

FLAX-PULLING MACHINE.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that'we, OHARLnsHENm VESSOT and ALLAN GILMoUR MATHER, both of'the city of Ottawa, in the Province/of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F lax-Pulling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

.Our invention relates to improvements in flax pulling machines of the-type in which the flax is pulled through the medium of contacting inclined pulling belts; and the objects of our invention. are to provide simple and effective means for driving the pulling belts: and to provide means for tripping or upsetting the plants as they are discharged from the belts to cause them to drop flatly on to the conveying belt.

Further objects are to provide improved means for resiliently holding a plurality of rollers against the belt and to prevent portions of the flax plants winding about the rollers.

It consists essentially of the improved construction hereinafter described more fully in the accompanying specifications and drawings. I

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view Fig. 2 is a sectional detail ofithe pulling elements, the section being pulling elements plan view of.one of the section through" one of the front pulleys. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan of the spring held rollers bearing on the side of the pulling belt. Fig. 6 1s a section on the line 3-3. Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail through the edge of the frame and one of the rollers. Fig. Sis a vertical section through one of the rollers.

In the drawings, like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure. g V v Referring to the drawings, A represents it is found convenient to attach the machine to the frame of-an ordinary bind-ing -maposition of the knives on such machine; and

- Specification of Letters Patent.

'- lower part of eachframe D,

Patented Jan. more.

Application filed April 13, 1910. Serial No. 555,299.

versely-extending belt of the machine rotated in a suitable manner to bring the flax in the binding device and bind it in sheaves.

In its construction, the invention includes a plurality of pulling elementsC, C, C C and C the three central elements being of similar construction, and the end elements C and C embodying half of the mechanism in one of the intermediate elements. Each of these elements consists of a casing D within which pulleys supporting the flax pulling belts are j ournaled, the belts in adjacent sections being adapted to contact with each other. In accordance with the present invention all the belts are driven from a central driving shaft E which extends transversely beneath all the pulling elements,

each of the pulling belts extending around said shaft and'having operative connection therewith. This is accomplished by providing pulleys 10- at intervals on the shaft over which each of the pulling belts 11 extend, said pulling belts being turned by means of a pair of rollers 12 and 13 mounted on the said pulling belts 11 then extending around end pulleys 14 and 15 on the frame, said rollers 12 and 13 being mounted atsubstantially the center of the frame and being sufliciently wide to permit both belts carried by' the frame to pass thereover as shown in Fig. 3. The belt maybe tightened by any suitable means, in'

the embodiment illustrated'a pulley 14 is provided with adjustable bearing blocks 14 adapted to be adjusted by any suitable adj usting means.

In order to cause the flax plants to drop I i flatly and evenly onto the belt B, tripping arms F are provided secured to each frame D and extending below the end of the juncture between the contacting pulling belts,

the tripping arms being cur-'ved across the opening between the pulling elements in such a way that as the flax. plants are dropping when released by the pulling belts, their butts will be engaged and held slightly while their upper ends are falling from substantially vertical to horizontal position.

At the forward ends of the pulling belts 11,

engaging belts 18 are provided in adjacent sections, diverging from each other and being provided with projecting hook members 19 to engage the ax plants. These belts. are mounted on pulleys 20 and 21, the pulley 20 rotating with the pulley 15 and the pulley 21 being supported on the forward part of the frame D.

In order to guide the'sides of the belts 4 between the pulleys so that no flax or leaves I 47 is secured having .provided to adjust the spring tension vof these rollers. The means illustrated to accompli'sh this are shown in detail-in Figs. 5 and 6. The rollers are rovidedwith slidable bearing blocks 49 he (1 in guideways 50 in a supportinggnember 51 the said supporting member preferably holding two of the bearing blocks. The said bearing blocks are further provided with shafts 52 and 53 which extend through apertures 54 and 55 in a bar 56 which is slidably mounted on a screw-threaded member 57 being normally pressed to outermost position by means'of compression springs 58 and 59, the outward movement being limited by means of a nut 60 on the screw-threaded member 57. To hold the bar 56 in any adjusted position and thus to regulate the spring tension on the belt, a slot 61 is formed in the bar 56 into which the nut 60 is adapted to fit, whereby,

when in said slot, its rotation wlll be prevented. Thus, when it is desired to increase the pressure the bar 56 is moved inwardly and disengaged from the nut, which is then screwed farther on to the member 57. The bar 56 is then moved out until the slot 61 en agesthe nut and the springs 58 and 59 wil then hold the device 1n adjusted osition. It is only necessary to provide t ese rollers against one of the contacting belts so, consequently they will only appear on one side of the frame D as shown in Fig. 3.

In order to prevent the flax winding about the rollers 48 and also to rovid'e a roller bearin for said rollers, a s eeve member 62 is provided about a spindle 63 of each roller having U-shaped annular flanges 64 at opposite ends'adapted to take into annular grooves 65 formed in the end of the roller around the spindle said rolle'r carrying at opposite ends cylindrical members 66 having conoidal surfaces 67 thereon, between which and the flanges 64 a set of ball bearings 68 are provided. The flanges 64 may thus be said to be counter-sunk in the endsof the roller and so prevent the winding of the ing of the flax around the pulley '15 at the forward end is also prevented by means of lates 69 and 70 counter-sunk into recesses 71 and 72 in the ends .of thepulley, said lates being supported from the spindle 3 of the pulley. The lubrication'of this pulley 15 may be. conveniently effected by an oil chamber 73 in the spindle, closed. by a bolt 74 and having a radial passage-way 75 for the passage ,of the oil.

It will be understood that each of the flax pulling elements is supported from the frame A, as by braces 76.

In the operation of the machine,- the flax plants are engaged by the divergin pairs of engaging belts and are carried to t e contacting pulling belts which carry them upwardly and rearwardly and finally drop them when they fall on the carrier B, being tripped by the arms F so that they will fall conveniently, and the conveyer B carries them to the binding mechanism.

As many changes .could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of our. invenbe made without departing from the spirit as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What we cla1m as our mventlon is:

plurality of pairs of contacting pulling belts adapted to engage and pull .the flax, plants a main driving shaft extendin across all the belts, each of said belts exten ing around the shaft and being'operatively connected thereto in such a way as to be driven there- ;,by, and means for supporting the belts and shaft. t

2..In a flax puller and in combination, a plurality ofipalrs of contacting pulling belts adapted to engage and pull the flax plants, a main driving shaft having pulleys at intervals thereon with which each of the belts are engaged, each of said belts extending around the shaft and-being operatively connected thereto in such a way as to be driven thereby, and means for supporting the belts and shaft. X

3. In a flax puller and in combination, a main driving shaft having pulleys at intervals thereon, a plurality of flax pulling elements each formed with a pair of belts adapted to contact on the outerside with the belts on -the adjacent element, the flax plants being adapted to be engaged between the belts,said belts at their center'extending over 'pnlleys which impart a turn to the 1. In a flaxpullerand in combination a flax plants around the spindle. The wind tion within the scope of the claims could or 'scope'thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specifiv cat1ons and drawings shall be interpreted:

I shaft and belts,

belts, said belts then extending over and contacting with the shaft, .means for supporting the driving and means for feeding the belts against theflax plants.

4. In a flax puller and in combination, an improved pulling element, comprising a pair of forwardly and downwardly inclined belts, pulleys supporting said belts in such a way that the belts on one side contact with each other, and on'the other side are formed with a'twist extending below the contacting surface and at substantially right angles thereto, driving pulleys engaged with the portion of each belt extending below the contacting portion, means for operating said driving pulleys, means for supporting all of said pulleys, and means for advancing the belts against the flax plants.

5. In a flax pulling machine and in combination, a plurality of pulling elements, each comprising a frame, pairs of pulleys at opposite sides thereof, a pulling belt mounted on said pair of pulleys, a pair of pulleys at the lower part of the frame, both of said belts extending over each of said last mentioned pulleys, and being adapted to contact with the belts in adjacent elements, a shaft having pulleys thereon over which the belts are adapted to extend, means for supporting all the pulling elements, and means for advancing the pulling elements against the flax plants.

6. In a flax puller, and in combination, a pair of adjacent pulling belts contacting flatly along their side surfaces, inclined to the horizontal and adapted to grip the flax plants between them, said belts opening at the upper end to release the flax plants, a supporting casing for the pulling belts, means for driving the belts, a carrier belt extending transversely below the upper end of the pulling belts, a tripping element extending below the end of the juncture of the contacting pulling belts, said tripping element extending across the opening between the belts insuch a way that as the flax plants are dropped, their butts'will be belts,

engaged and held temporarily while their upper parts fallfrom a vertical to a horizontal position.

.7. In a flax puller and in combination a pair of forwardly and downwardly inclined pulling belts, rollers supporting the belts, a fixed disk countersunk 1n the end of 'one of said rollers adapted to prevent winding of material around the spindle of the roller, and" means for driving the belts.

8. In a flax a pair of forwardly and downwardlyqm clined pulling belts,

rollers supporting said certain of said rollers having-annular grooves in the top thereof, annular members P e s on the drivin puller and in combination, V

fitting in said grooves adapted to prevent winding of material around the spindle of the roller, and means for driving the belts.

9. In a flax puller and in combination, a plurality of pairs of forwardly and downwardly inclined pulling belts, pulleys supporting said belts, a frame supporting sald pulleys, said pulling belts extending adjacent to the edge of the frame, and a flexible. guard member supported from the frame Ianld extending adjacent to the edge of the e ts.

10. In a machine of the character described the combination with a pair of forwardly and downwardly inclined contacting pulling belts, ofmeans for supporting and driving the same, spring rollers engaging one of said belts, bearing blocks for the rollers, guide-ways for the bearing blocks, arms secured to the bearin blocks, and a slidable member through w ich the arms extend, springs extending between the bearing blocks and the slidable member, a

screw threaded member extending through the slidable member, and a nut thereon.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a pair of forwardly and downwardly inclined contacting pulling belts, of means for supporting and driving the same, spring rollers engaging one of said belts, bearing blocks therefor, guideways for the bearing blocks, arms secured to the bearing blocks, a slidable member through which the arms ex tend, springs extending between the bearing blocks and the slidable member, a screwthreaded member extending through the slidable member and a nut thereon, said slidable member being formed with a slot into which the nut is adapted to fit.-

12. In a machine of the character described, and in combination, a plurality of contacting pulling belts, pulleys supporting said belts, means for driving said belts, a frame supporting the pulleys including top and bottom members, rollers engaging the belts, spindles supporting the rollers, bolts entering the spindles at each end and being connected to the top and bottom members, and plates at each end of the spindle counter-sunk into the rollers;

13. In a flax puller, the combination w th a pair of forwardly and downwardly mclined pulling belts and means for supporting and driving the same, of a roller bearing against one of said belts, said roller having grooves at opposite ends, a splndle on said roller, and a sleeve member mounted on the spindle having flanges adapted to enter the grooves.

" 14. In a flaxfpuller, the combination with a pair of forwardly and downwardly in-- clined pulling belts and means for supporting and driving the same, of rollers bearing against one of said belts, said rollers havin In witness whereof we have hereunto set grooves at opposite ends, a spindle on eac our hands in the presence of two Witnesses. of said rollers, a sleeve member mounted on CHARLES HENRI VESSOT. the spindle having flanges adapted to enter ALLAN GILMOUR MATHER.

the grooves, a cylindrical member mounted Witnesses: on each roller, and a set of ball-bearings RUssEnS SMART, mounted on the sleeve member. WM. A. WYMAN. 

